1. Field
The following description relates to a loop execution technique of a reconfigurable array.
2. Description of the Related Art
Reconfigurable architectures are computer architectures that have hardware structures that may be optimally reconfigured to perform each task.
Typical hardware processing alone may not be able to properly handle tasks because of the inherent inflexibility of hardware especially when the tasks are subject to modification. Software processing alone, unlike hardware processing, may provide flexibility and adaptability to various tasks, but the processing speed is generally lower than that of hardware processing.
Reconfigurable architectures have the capability of providing the benefits of both hardware processing and software processing, and have been attracting attention, especially in the field of digital signal processing.
There are various types of reconfigurable architectures that are available, for example, coarse-grained arrays (CGAs). A CGA includes a plurality of processing units, and is capable of being optimized for certain tasks by adjusting the connections between the processing units.
Reconfigurable architectures are also capable of utilizing very long instruction word (VLIW) machines. Recently, processing units that have two execution modes, i.e., CGA and VLIW modes, have been developed. The reconfigurable architectures that have both the CGA and VLIW modes may perform loop executions in the CGA mode and may perform other operations in the VLIW mode.